Free So Gross! by J A Mawter Page A

that a few of them were staring at him rather closely. He put it down to nerves about the game. ‘Let’s get going then,’ he said, rubbing his hands in anticipation. ‘Crunches. I want fifty of ‘em.’
    ‘He doesn’t look too sick to me,’ hissed Simon.
    ‘Me either,’ said Dillon.
    ‘Nah,’ said Yonnie with a sigh. ‘Not a pneumonia in sight.’

Chapter Five
    The next morning Gumby leapt out of bed as soon as he woke up. It was the big day. The final of the footy comp. He cleaned his boots, threading in new laces for luck. After a warm but refreshing shower he put on his lucky purple undies, shorts, guernsey and socks. He was ready.
    Gumby glanced at the clock then groaned. There were still two hours to kill till the game. He decided to rearrange his boogie collection — change it from alphabetical order to the order in which he’d gotten each specimen.
    First, there was James Bearer’s. Gumby remembered sneaking up and snaffling a snotty tissue out of his school shorts when he was at gym. It was a beauty. Sort of a creamy colour streaked with red. Bearer’s fingers never stopped harvesting a crop and he was always getting nosebleeds.
    Then there was Frank Castro’s. Gumby had just managed to stop him from eating his.
    The next one cost him two bucks but it was worth it because it was the monkey head one of Matt Secker’s. Then there was Rowan Dooley’s. He didn’t get the nickname Plug-Ugly for nothing.
    Most had been donated by the guys, eager to contribute to the collection.
    Gumby placed the rest of them in a box he’d specially built. It had wooden partitions lined with cotton wool. He sighed when he saw the last empty spot. Coach sure was tough.
    ‘How goes it?’ asked Max, coming into the room without knocking. ‘Still not as good as mine,’ he added when he saw the specimens lined up in rows. ‘I’ve got the best boogie collection in all the world.’
    ‘It’s almost a full set,’ said Gumby. ‘Reckon a set beats your motley collection any day.’
    ‘Reckon you’re right.’ Max leaned over and jabbed his brother in the chest, hard. ‘But this isn’t a set.’ He jabbed again.
    ‘Yet,’ hissed Gumby. ‘But when it is I’ll have the best boogie collection in all the world.’
    ‘You’re a loser, Gumby. Your football team are losers. Your boogie collection is a loser.’
    ‘Time to go,’ yelled their mother from the kitchen where the rest of the family were assembled ready to go to the game.
    With one last ‘Loser,’ Max left to join them.
    ‘We’ll see about that,’ muttered Gumby, then more loudly, ‘Coming.’ He stroked his boogie collection for good luck.
    ‘Nervous?’ asked Yonnie later on in the change room.
    ‘A little,’ said Gumby, trying to put Max out of his mind. ‘You?’
    ‘Probably won’t even get a game,’ said Yonnie. ‘Seeing as how I’m reserve.’
    ‘Yeah. Bad luck,’ said Gumby. He turned to the rest of the boys and pulled down his shorts. ‘Hey fellas, I’m wearing my lucky purple undies.’
    ‘Me, too,’ said Simon, who had on navy ones with hot pink love hearts.
    ‘Bet Jodie Stafford gave them to you,’ Dillon laughed. ‘Mine are from Mum.’ Dillon’s mum must have liked teddy bears because that’s what he proudly displayed to the rest of the team.
    ‘Boys,’ said Coach, calling them together. ‘I want you to go hard. Go low. Don’t give ‘em an inch.’ Coach wiped his eye. It looked like there was a tear in it. ‘You know I’m real proud of yous to make it to the final.’ A tear ran down his cheek. ‘You done good.’
    ‘You going all wussie on us, Coach?’ asked Gumby.
    ‘Go out an’ cream ‘em good,’ was the gruff reply.
    The game was a tough one. Just as they’d expected it to be. At halftime they were down five points and Coach was giving them an earbashing.
    At this rate they were going to lose. And after coming so far!
    Coach kept having to stop, wiping his eyes and taking a deep breath before